Mini KISS – Treasure Island Resort & Casino – Welch, MN – April 11, 2026

Mini KISS – April 11, 2026 at Treasure Island Resort & Casino, Welch, MN

Review and photos by Jim Zons

Some of you probably know that I am a HUGE fan of the band KISS. Well, KISS said goodbye over two years ago, so where can a KISS fan go for a KISS fix??? How about world’s smallest KISS cover band: Mini KISS! I was lucky enough to catch the world’s shortest rock band (officially according to Guiness World Records) for a sold-out show at the Treasure Island Resort and Casino in Welch, MN on a rainy Saturday night.

Mini KISS has actually been around since 1995, founded by “Mini Gene” Joey Fatale in NYC. Joey passed away in 2011, but Mini KISS lives on fronted by Arturo Knight who has performed in the band as “Mini Paul Stanley” since 2015. You probably saw Mini KISS in Mall Cop 2, and on Jimmy Kimmel Live and Gene Simmons Family Jewels, and with the real members of KISS in a 2010 Pepsi Super Bowl commercial.

At Treasure Island, Mini KISS took the stage with the same song that “Big” KISS often starts concerts with: “Detroit Rock City” and then moving through KISS classics like “Shout It Out Loud,” “Deuce,” and “Lick It Up.” I have to say: Mini Paul really had the real Paul Stanley’s mannerisms down, like the hair flips, the voice, and even saying the word “people” a lot! And he was quite the entertainer, with plenty of funny “short” jokes and stories. It was quite surreal seeing the world’s smallest band rocking the stage! Each of the guys are decent musicians, but they were often helped along by backing tracks and prerecorded vocals, and that was okay.

They also tossed in some covers, like Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and even Fountain of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom!” But it was the covers of classic KISS songs like “Love Gun,” “Beth,” “Strutter” and “Cold Gin” that had everyone singing along. And just like a “big” KISS concert, Mini KISS ended the night with “Rock and Roll All Night” inviting a bunch of audience members on stage.
They might be Mini KISS, but they sure put on a BIG show at Treasure Island! If you get chance to see Mini KISS in concert, grab some tickets; they are a lot of fun!